Battlescale - an unashamedly enthusiastic overview

I've made no bones about the fact that if there's one part of the wargaming hobby that I do not enjoy it is scenery and terrain. 

I freely admit that I lack the skills to scratch build my own pieces - and indeed I have no inclination or desire to learn these skills - so what is a wargamer like me to do?

Of course, for 28mm there are plenty of MDF options that provide a cost effective solution for the sceneryphobe... but what about scenery to go with smaller metal peeps? 

My favoured size for non-skirmish gaming is 10mm thanks to the large and varied ranges at places like Pendraken coupled with the ease of storage for forces.  But unless we want to wage war on Planet Bowling Ball we still have that scenery problem don't we?

Well, no... thanks to Battlescale there is a superlative option for 10mm (and 6mm, and 3mm etc.) buildings and scenics.  I first found them when I was looking for some suitable buildings for my Tyrone's Rebellion project (see my previous post for more pics)

I'm sure you'll agree that even with my ham-fisted painting the detail and texture in these pieces makes them really look the part!

I was hooked.  I have since added Timber-Framed and Clapboard buildings for various projects - as well as some Adobe buildings for my Operation Compass games and various pieces for general WW2 games set across North and East Europe.

Battlescale are the first, and so far only, company where I have seen some scenery and then looked to find a project to suit! Let that sink in...as a sceneryphobe I'm not sure I can give higher praise than that! (It's an imagi-nations project making use of the Battlescale Mediterranean buildings by the way).

The buildings, hedges, walls and more that I have from Battlescale - regardless of what era or theatre they are for - are all wonderfully detailed and made with care (honestly, no resin product from anyone in any scale comes anywhere near - and I've had a fair few in my years of wargaming!). 

If you have a need for some scenery at smaller sizes please do consider Battlescale -  I strongly feel that as wargamers and hobbyists we need to offer our support and custom to those smaller companies putting out top-quality products for our wonderful shared hobby, and I can think of no higher quality than Battlescale.

NB I'm not on the payroll of Battlescale - I'm just a very very happy customer that felt like waxing lyrical and putting some positivity out there!

State of the ADHS Nation - December 2021

It has been a while hasn’t it?  Between new puppy, brain gremlins, work and more there just hasn’t been much spare mental capacity for hobby.  There’s been no painting for weeks – and barely any assembly/prep.  Just one of those things, but I’m trying to formulate ways to start making progress once more.

If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed I had a birthday at the end of October – and it was something of a milestone so I got spoilt!  First up my better half decided to go for a huge stack of Malifaux boxes – which I supplemented through some canny purchases (including some pre-owned bits) using some gifted birthday money.  This is what has joined the collection (some has also been ordered from various store clearouts of old M2 stock on Black Friday so I’m waiting for those):-

Arcanists

Colette Core Box

Waiting in the Wings

Toni Core Box

Troubleshooters

Union Steamfitters (awaited)

Slate Ridge

Bayou

The Brewmaster Core Box (awaited)

Zoraida Core Box

A Light in the Dark

Amphibious Assault

Gautreaux Bokors

See Ya Later

Silurids

Big Brain Brin (awaited)

Listen Up!

When Pigs Fly

Explorer’s Society (and Ten Thunders)

Lucas Core Box (awaited)

Neverborn

Dreamer Core Box

Teddy

Things That Go Bump

Pandora Core Box

Juvenile Delinquents

Outcasts

Hamelin Core Box

Brotherhood of the Rat

Tainted Filth

Leveticus Core Box

Desolation

Marlena Webster

Necropunks

Resurrectionists

Molly Core Box

The Lost

Reva Core Box

Draugr

Mourners

The Returned

Seamus Core Box

Bête Noire

Undertow

From Trials… I got this awesome 10mm scale ruined castle.  It’s going to be perfect for all sorts of settings in 10mm, but will be a great focal point for my Rampanthammer in particular:

It comes in two layers that easily and cleanly fit together – I’m very impressed!

My workplace had also done a collection for my birthday, and as some colleagues know my better half they tapped her up for ideas – and she suggested Pendraken gift vouchers… so now I’ve got the things to replace my ACW tribute project in 10mm (I need the space after all), I’ve finally taken the plunge on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth vs Ottoman Empire project I’ve had in my mind for ages and I even had enough left over for some Aztecs to do 10mm Tribal plus some 15mm market tables for Burning Sands (and Of Gods and Mortals etc etc).  Not bad at all!

I’ve ordered the rulebook for Gamma Wolves (thanks to Trials… helpfully suggesting mecha as a small side project when I had some cash burning a hole in my pocket over the autumn) – and I’ve got a selection of Reaper CAV mecha minis that I intend to use.  These seem great value – much cheaper than Battletech options so a good way to dip the toe into the mecha wargaming world.

The new hotness in wargaming right now seems to be The Silver Bayonet – well I didn’t want to miss the hype train (as it’s a fun setting hot-or-otherwise!) so I’ve got that rulebook coming too.  I also had enough cash spare to get some test minis from the 18mm AB range (via Eureka UK) – enough for a ragtag bunch of monster hunters and a few opponents to boot. Other enemies etc will be a future purchase for sure once I can get a feel for how AB scales up against MM, RPE, AA etc.

There’ll be more on both Gamma Wolves and The Silver Bayonet once I’ve got them and can digest and sort more concrete plans!

So whilst the ‘doing’ might still be proving tricky, the plotting, planning and acquisition side is certainly continuing! 😊

The Fenian Raids - Introduction

I've mentioned this on the blog before, but now I'm in a position to share with you how I've made a start on a small (both scale and force size) project around the Fenian Raids.

I based the forces mostly around the suggested lists in the Rebels and Patriots book, with a little tweaking to increase more variety to both sides.

Pendraken do a range that covers the Canadian defenders so that was the go to place for that half of the project.

First I've got three units of Green Line Infantry.  Each unit looks somewhat like this:

Thanks to some sage advice from The Mad Padre himself I've also acquired some 10mm Crimean War flags which will suffice for the look (especially at this scale).

I decided to add a Medium Field Gun to the defenders so that I wouldn't have to paint a fourth unit of infantry (hey, I'm just being honest 😅):

Finally I added a couple of units of Green Skirmishers that are Good Shots:

I used the Firing Line pack for these as they were a bit more varied, which I thought reflected their role in the R&P rules.

For the Fenians I drew from Pendraken's ACW range (based on the research I did there would have been plenty of surplus clothing from that conflict that was made use of by the Fenians).  I've got a pair of Aggressive Light Infantry units:

The suggested list in R&P includes some mounted scouts on stolen horses - for variety's sake I decided to include a unit of Green Light Cavalry:

Finally I used Pendraken's Berdan's Sharpshooters pack as the basis of a couple of units of Skirmishers (I do like these kind of units in the small conflicts the Rampant rules family is for - to my mind they seem to 'fit').  There's a good mix of sculpts in the Berdan's pack too:

I used the officer miniature from the pack to make the officers of both of the Light Infantry units different.

This gives 21 points each - a little bit lower than the 'standard' game size, but I'm happy with the variety and it should be enough to play a range of fun scenarios.  I'm not aiming to recreate any specific conflicts from the Raids (would need a different ruleset I'd think to play the Battle of Ridgeway properly!) so between these and the Battlescale Clapboard buildings I've share previously I'm mostly set - barring things like trees, water features, roads, suitable scatter etc etc (😅).

Battlescale - Timber Framed, Clapboard, and Walls

No - it's not a wargamer rendition of the Three Little Pigs, it's the contents of my order from the absolutely brilliant Battlescale! 

So, I placed an order to get some scenery that would work for my projects I have coming - ECW and Fenian Raids.  As with my previous order for my Tudor project, these are all superbly cast, with pretty much no clean up (except the usual wash!) or fixing needed - if only all purveyors of resin miniatures/buildings were as good as Battlescale eh?

The Timber Framed range of 10mm buildings seemed a good choice for ECW, so I ordered a variety...

First, the rather impressive Merchants House - this is a tall three-storey building that'll provide a good centrepiece to the collection:

A particularly characterful piece is the Gatehouse:

Rather brilliant isn't it?

I got one each of the two two-storey houses from the range - as you can see one has a smaller annex, the other features the overhanging second floor that is quite often seen on real life buildings of this type:

I also got the single-storey building - which has a nice L-shape to it, providing even more variety:

Finally from the Timber Framed range I ordered a pair of Cottages:

(that shows the front and back - they are the same building)

I also bought the Village Shrine - I'll probably use this also for the Tudor project (well until Battlescale make a Celtic High Cross that is.... I'm secretly hoping if I mention it enough here and on Twitter it'll magically make it a reality one day 😆)

I then turned my attention to the Fenian Raids project... I figured Clapboard was the way to go for this one.  First up, the Clapboard House:

It's a good size too - something to help give a focal point in a game as an objective perhaps.

I also ordered the Clapboard House and Carriage Shed for some variety:

I particularly like the small entry to the basement you can see on this side!

Finally I bought a pair of Tiled Timber Cottages which seemed to fit well enough with the Clapboard look.  I'm not sure why I buy two each of the smaller buildings (see above and the pair of Crofts for the Tudors...)...

(again that's back and front - they are two of the same building)

Finally on this order I opted for the rural wall set... this represents absolutely incredible value for money.  It's a twenty piece set, with corner pieces, straight lengths, a couple with gates and a couple of breached sections.  I cannot express how good the value is... seriously, go order this (and/or the equivalent hedge set) straight away before Battlescale realise it's mispriced or something!

Anyway, here's a couple of pics showing the different pieces in the set:

I feel I have to add here that I am in no way affiliated with Battlescale - I'm just a very happy (and impressed) customer!  The ranges they have will certainly help me continue my forays into 10mm (and 6mm) gaming! Very, very highly recommend their products (and service) to all.

Fences and Water Tower

I knew I wanted some fencing suitable for the various games that will use our Bethany, Nevada scenery collection - I picked up the Renedra Palisade Fencing pack.

As you can see the pack includes 8 fence lengths but only 5 posts.  I've tried to put them together in a way that will be somewhat flexible.  What would have been good is if the posts (or at least some of them) had been designed to allow for right angled corners - a missed opportunity I feel.

Also, I finally assembled the Water Tower from Frontline - this was really tricky to assemble, mostly because the Frontline resin seems to take forever to bond with superglue (unlike most resin which I've found tends to glue really quickly).

It's not perfect, but it'll do - I don't intend to buy another one, let's put it that way!!

Makeshift Barricades

I picked up a couple of Warlord resin pieces of scenery from one of my go-to guys - these are from Warlord's Anglo-Zulu War range.  I got these with an eye to using them in games set in America - so Dracula's America, Dead Man's Hand and Rebels and Patriots.

First up, a versatile barricade/supply pile made up of boxes and bags:

That will work either as a makeshift barricade, or even just as some scatter next to a general store or the like.

Secondly a rather impressive piece - the wagon barricade.  Obviously, this is a bit more for special scenarios rather than every day shootouts in our little town of Bethany, Nevada but I couldn't resist buying one as it's just too cool!

A cool feature is that it is designed to hold some miniatures - from testing it seems designed more for smaller base sizes, I could only fit one 25mm based chap on it but it's still a nice option.

There was a lot of paper-thin flashing on the wagon barricade piece, but easy to clean up.  The boxes and bags barricade required only minimal work.

They are nice pieces that will add some much needed cover for our outlaws and lawmen!

Perry ACW Confederate Skirmishers

I needed a little something to add to my Confederate army for this special project to balance the sides - I decided on another unit of Skirmishers (I do like skirmishers!).

I went for the Confederate Infantry in Shell Jackets Skirmishing (say that three times quickly!):

Really nice minis (as you'd expect from the Perrys) - they certainly look like a rugged group!

Perry ACW Union Skirmishers

Back on my birthday I received a very thoughtful and kind present from Trials of a Casual Wargamer - a pack of Perry Miniatures Union Infantry in Sack Coats Skirmishing! Well, although the brain gremlins have been giving me a bit of a kicking since then, I finally whipped them into line for a bit and got some hobby done - including prepping these Skirmishers for priming (well... weather permitting one day!):

These are a superb addition to the Perry ACW collection - lots of lovely character in these chaps, with a nice mix of poses included to really mark them out from their line infantry comrades.  It's got me thinking about what to add to the Confederate side now, a sure sign of capturing the imagination on the project once more!

Happy Birthday to me...

So it's my birthday - another trip around the sun endured.

But I mustn't complain - thanks to thoughtful people in my life I got to open some gaming related presents this morning! 

First, from Trials of a Casual Wargamer - a pack of Perry Miniatures ACW metals, skirmishing Union soldiers to be precise.  Lovely sculpts (as you'd expect from the Perrys) and I really do love a unit of skirmishers!

Looking forward to adding these to my Universe of Battle project 😀

And from my wife, a few packs of bases from Antenocitis Workshop...

Hex Bases (with some Arena Hex so not everyone is stood on a curb or manhole) 25mm, 40mm and 55mm - this little lot should give me enough bases not just for the Infinity collection, but also the minis I have set aside for Reality's Edge/Hardwired - guess I'd better get the marigolds on and get the 'wargamer washing up' on!

TTCombat - Small House D

I've been struggling with painting a little recently - work has gone a little hectic these past couple of weeks and it has been mentally tiring.  So I changed tack a little and assembled the TTCombat Small House D (another catchy name eh?)

Like it's B cousin that I posted previously, this is one of TTCombat's older kits so doesn't have any instructions - but it was easy enough to assemble, despite the common TTCombat MDF kit issue of being a little too tight in some places.  Still, nothing that determination couldn't overcome!

I like the raised detailing on this design (and the front steps) which makes it look very different to Small House B.  It'll primarily find use in games of Dracula's America I think as part of Bethany, Nevada, but maybe it'll crop up in games of Rebels and Patriots too when I want more than one building on the table.

Again I chose not to add the decorative window frames as I like the basic look.  This particular kit includes some interior detailing too for those who (unlike me) don't glue the roof on - table, chairs, bed and a wardrobe.  It's a good value kit already but that's a nice bonus for those that want some interior bits and bobs.

TTCombat - Small House B

These past few days have been quite hard - first it would have been my Dad's birthday, then the 6 month anniversary of his death the day after.  I still tried to do some hobby - and although I wasn't in the mood to face painting, I thought that assembling TT Combat's Small House B (catchy huh?) would be a suitable activity - whilst primarily for Dracula's America it will definitely see use in games of Rebels and Patriots.

The kit is part of TTCombat's Wild West range - it's one of their older kits so instructions are not available but it's a straight-forward build. I opted not to add the decorative elements (fancy window frames) as I wanted a fairly basic look for this house:

It occupies a nice bit of tabletop, creating a good obstacle/line of sight blocker.  Like a lot of TTCombat MDF stuff it has a less refined feeling than competitors, but it is great value and ideal for my intended uses. It did come with some optional furniture detailing for inside - a bed, table and some chairs.  I didn't use these as I've glued the roof on this model, but for those who like to detail their buildings it's a nice little bonus included on the MDF sheets.

Bethany, Nevada - start of a boom town

I'd had my eye on some of TTCombat's Wild West scenic line for a while to use for games of Dracula's America.  Well, I was able to place an order recently so took the opportunity to pick up enough to form the basis of the boom town of Bethany, Nevada where I intend to set our games.

The starting point is the Town Buildings and Gallows set:-

This great value collection includes a Saloon, Sheriff's Office, Bank and General Store - as well as the Gallows.  It's basically all the essentials for any self-respecting Wild West town!

I wanted a few more buildings to add to the core - for this order I decided to go for a couple of houses.  Small House B and D:

Small House B is likely to find use in games of Rebels and Patriots too.

I know I want a few more bits and pieces - a couple of the two-floored buildings to add some variety, and no doubt another house or two, as well as some Sarissa-Precision stuff too - but I'm really happy with this little lot as a start to Bethany!

The Universe of Battle - Confederates

As well as The Union side of my special project, I've also been at work on the Confederate side.  These are, once again, all from Perry Miniatures American Civil War range.

First up, a unit of Line Infantry - these are made up of packs ACW84 and ACW85.  These will be from Virginia (with colours from Flags of War):

Next, Shock Infantry (Aggressive) - these are packs ACW37 and ACW38.  These will be Louisiana Tigers:

Here is a unit of Skirmishers (Good Shooters) - pack ACW113:

And another unit of Skirmishers (Good Shooters) - pack ACW118 this time:

Finally a unit of Light Cavalry (Aggressive) - packs ACW95 and ACW96:

I'm looking forward to getting on with this project - although when things start to return to normal I need to get some suitable scenery!